Photographic printing machine



May 13, 1941- B. w. KADEI. ETAL 2,241,462

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Filed` OCT.. 19, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Allow 5 Annow 6 IO Fie. 5 5 3 4 v-y i. mi v Xq/0 ///r 0 4 FIG. 6 zo 3 2' 4 FGl.' k3() '5 '6 INVEN ORS o Y I B ATTORNEY Fle. 7.0

ATTORNEY May 13, 1941.

yUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Byers W. Kadel, Baltimore, Md., and George B. Kadel, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 19, 1938, Serial No. 235,722

11 Claims.

This invention relates to photographic printing machines of the type involving a. light box, above a lighted aperture or top of which means is provided for positioning a photographic film or negative with sensitive printing paper surmounted thereabove, The principal object of theV invention is to provide in such a printing machine means for printing, by contact, successive frames of a strip of film onto a sheet of photographic paper, advancing the film in one direction by series of frames and advancing the paper in a direction normal thereto by steps, so that the entire sheet of paper may be printed in successive operations.

Another object is to provide a printing machine of the character described wherein a loose sheet of paper may be placed directly against the film and Without being confined in a printing frame. A further object is to provide a windowed plate member for mounting upon such a f printing box, the same embodying aligned openings and carrying also film guides and a paper guide. A still further object is to provide a printing machine of the character described wherein match marks are provided for positioning the I paper at successive positions. Other objects are to provide such a printing machine with film guiding means so arranged as to not interfere with the guiding of the paper, also to provide shutter means for blanking off or controlling the light falling upon individual frames during the printing process. Another object is to provide means for marking or indenting the paper at one printing operation for later matching with a portion of the device to dene or establish a succeeding paper position.

Other objects will appear as a description of the invention is set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of the plate-like member which is intended for mounting above the light aperture or on top of the printing box. Figure 2 is a. side elevation of the same, and Figures 3 and 4 are sections thereof taken respectively on the lines 3 3 and 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the same member, the view being seen in the direction of arrow 5. Figure 6 is a similar view seen in the direction of arrow 6. Figures 7 and 8 are transverse sections through the same member taken respectively on the lines 1 1 and 8-8 of Figure 1. Figure 9 is a fragmentary section taken to enlarged scale on the line 9-9 of Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a plan view 0f a printing box upon which is positioned the windowed plate of Figure 1. Figure 11 is a side elevational view of the same and Figure 12 an end elevational view thereof. Figures 13, 14 and 15 are plan, side elevation, and end elevation views respectively of the pressure board intended for use with the device to hold the paper and film in contact against the top of the windowed member.

Figure 16 is a plan view of one of the shutter slides which may be used to blank off printing frames. As a shutter slide comprises merely a strip of sheet brass, this one view will sulce to show it.

Figure 17 is a longitudinal sectional View through the top portion of the box and the surmounted plate, a film, a sheet of printing paper and the pressure board being shown in their approximate positions. Figure 18 is a transverse sectional view of the same character. These two figures are taken on lines approximating 3-3 and 8-8 of Figure 1.

Figure 19 is a diagrammatic View showing the several printing positions of a sheet of paper in relation to the windowed member of Figure l. Figure 20 is a view showing the finished product of the device, the same denoting a sheet of photographic paper printed in six strips of three frames each.

The scale of Figures 10, 11 and 12 is reduced somewhat over that of Figures 1 to 8, and that of Figures 13 to 20 is reduced over that of all the preceding figures. The invention consists of the formation, combination and arrangement of parts as Wil-l be herein described and claimed.

Referring now to the embodiment as shown in the above described views of the drawings, the printing box is indicated by the numeral l, the top thereof being provided with a light aperture 2. Within the box is a printing lamp 3 mounted in an electric receptacle 4. The electric cord and plug 5 are of the usual character for connecting the device to an electric outlet. There is also provided within the box a second receptacle 6 with a ruby lamp l for viewing the negative in the usual manner. Following the usual custom, the interior of the box is so Wired that the ruby lamp will be lighted at all times when the cord 5 is connected with an electric outlet. The printing lamp 3 is to be lighted only when an exposure is to be made, and consequently, the control switch 8 is provided for turning this light on and off. The details of the wiring are not shown but they are well understood in the art.

Mounted upon the top of the box by means of wood screws 9 is an apertured plate-like member I. This is formed preferably of a plastic material such as Bakelite and is so placed upon the top of the box I that the windows II thereof lie directly above the aperture 2 in the top of the box.

Arranged opposite each end of the series of window openings II are film guides I2 and 3@ through which a strip of photographic film may be passed and aligned with respect to the said window openings Il. The present embodiment of the device is designed especially to handle 35 mm. film of the type used in many candid cameras. Such film is usually sold in rolls of thirty-six exposures, the field of each frame being approximately 1l wide and 11/2" long. The embodiment of the machine as illustrated in the drawings is designed to accommodate such a film and to print eighteen of its frames on a standard sheet of x 7 photographic paper, six strips of three frames each, leaving in addition, a wide margin at the left hand edge of the paper for mounting in a loose leaf book. The nlm guides I2 and 30 are accordingly made of just suiiicient width to permit the passage and the aligning of the film just described, and the windows II are of such size and arrangement as to neatly cover the field of three successive frames of such a film, the guides I2 and 30 being of course so arranged that the film frames will match laterallyT with the apertures Il.

Arranged transversely of the path of the film and near one end of the aligned windows II is a paper guide bar I3. In use, a sheet of paper is laid above the film and with one of its longer edges abutting against the fac-e I4 of this guide bar. The film being in position in the guides I2 and 30 and the paper being positioned above the film, the pressure board I5 may then be laid upon the top of the paper and pressed down by hand while mlaking the exposure. It will be understood that in the present embodiment no paper frame is used, the bare photographic paper being laid directly upon the nlm and squared therewith by abutting a long edge of the paper against the guide bar I3. For convenience in obtaining ful-l contact between the paper and the negative the pressure board I5 may be provided with a rubber facing I6.

The positions of the various parts when ready for printing are shown in Figures 17 and 18. Here will be seen the film in position within the guides, the paper abutting against the rib I3 and the pressure beard I5 positioned for pressing down by a hand of the operator.

As it is the intention that the printed sheets, of the character shown in Figure 20, shall be used to index such films, the operator will usually arrange the film and paper so as to have the finished sheet show the frames consequently. He will therefore insert the nlm, emulsion side up, from the right hand end (Figure 17) and position it so that the three rst frames thereof will lie above the three windows I I. He will then place the photographic paper above the film in the position indicated 'ni Figure 19 as P-l, this being the position for printing the first or topmost strip of frames on the sheet. Holding down the pressure board I5 with one hand he will now turn on the switch 8 for the desired time of exposure.

It frequently happens that the three negatives to be printedl at one exposure are of different degrees of density, hence different printing times are necessary. In order to accomplish this, each 4of the windows II is provided with a shutter slideway beneath it, these being indicated at il. The slideways Il are formed by ribbing the under face of the member ill so that slides such as I8 may be operated within the slideways and between the bottom face of the member I and the top face of the box. Inward movement of the slides is arrested by contact against the rib It. The slideways are slightly wider than the length of one of the windows II so that when a slide is in position the window opening is completely blanked off from the light source. It will also be noted that the slides may be entered or removed while the film and paper are held in place, without disturbing the printing relationship of the film and paper. This provision makes it possible to expose the three frames at a single operation and give each negative its proper printing time. For example, suppose one of the negatives requires a ve second exposure, another' a ten second exposure and the third a fifteen second exposure. Slides are inserted beneath the five second and ten second negatives. The exposure is started, and at the expiration of five seconds the slide is removed from beneath the ten second negative; at the expiration of ten seconds th-e slide is removed from beneath the five second negative; at the expiration of fifteen seconds the light is turned olf. It will be noted that in this process each negative has received its correct printing time and at the same time the withdrawal of the slides has not caused any disturbance of the printing relationship of the paper and film. 1t will of course be evident that the proper exposures for the individual frames may be eifected by sequential closing of the shutter slides instead of by opening them.

After exposing strip number I as heretofore set forth, the film is advanced three frames through the guides I2 and 30 and the paper is advanced in a direction at right angles to the path of the film to its second printing position, P--2 in Figure 19, the process being repeated until the full sheet, six strips in the present embodiment, is exposed.

The material immediately surrounding the windows II is raised slightly to comprise a film and paper supporting plane 28. This plane is also continued along the inner edge of the guide bar I3 and of the bar 29 which is formed at the opposite end of the aligned windows.

The member I0 is formed in a manner to facilitate the proper positioning of the paper for the several printing positions. It will be noted that narrow and slightly raised ribs or flats 2E) and 2I define the sides of the Window openings, these comprising portions of the plane 28. These flats 20 andi 2l are of just such width in relation to the windows II that, for the first printing position, the advance edge of the paper is matched with the outer edge of the flat 2). This position of the paper is marked P-I in Figure 19.

The main body of the plate is made of reduced width at one end to provide matching means for other printing positions, these edges being denoted 22 and 23. For the second printing pesition, 1?-2 in Figure 19, the forward edge of the paper is advanced until it aligns with the edge 22, being the proper amount of advance to give the desired margins around the printed frames. For the third printing position P-3, the forward edge cf the paper is advanced until it coincides with the extreme forward edge 24 of the member Ill. For the fourth printing position P-IL the paper is again advanced until its rearward edge matches with the rear edge 25 of member I.

For the fth position P-S, the rearward edge of the paper is caused to align with the edge 23 of vthe narrow end of the member I6, and for the sixth and final position P-6, it is caused to align with the outer edge of the flat 2|. 'Ihe member I is formed of suitable exactness so that when the paper is so matched it will give exactly the desired margins and intervals between the strips of frames. It will be understood of course that in every one of these positions the long edge of the paper lies against the face I4 of the guide bar I3 so as to hold the paper in square position. In this Figure 19, broken lines are drawn to show how the paper matches or aligns with the various matching points of the member I6 for each printing position. The shouldered nature of the several definition points heretofore described is of particular use when working in a dim light, for the. paper can be reasonably matched with the shoulders by sense of touch.

Attention is called to the spaced prick punch members 26 and 2,1. These have a dual purpose which will now be described. It will be noted that these members are located sufficiently far apart.

so that the film passes between them and does not at any time lie above either of them. This is done so as to prevent injury to the film when the pressure board is applied. When, however, the paper is in certain printing positions it lies above one or 'both of these prick punches. When in the P-I position, for example, the paper overlies the prick punch 26 and consequently when the pressure board is pressed down it causes the punch 26 to slightly indent the paper, as at M-I, Figure 19. The paper will be similarly indented at M-2, M--3, etc. at correspondingly succeeding printing operations. As the paper is advanced from one position to a succeeding one it will be noted that in each printing position the mark made by the punch 26 in the next preceding position will always lie directly on the center line of the aligned openings II. 'Ihe operator can accordingly determine at any time from the position of this punch mark how many strips have been exposed. He can also tell which is the proper forward and rearward edge of the paper and which of the side edges has the wide margin (for loose-leaf binding), and which the narrow margin, so that there is no chance of the sheet being placed on the machine with the wrong edge against the guide bar, or of missed or double eX- posure.

It will furthermore be noted, for example, that when the paper is in position for printing the third strip of frames, the prick punch mark made at the time of exposing the first strip matches with the prick punch 21. The paper may accordingly be located for successive printing positions from this point on by matching earlier-made prick punch maiiks withthe punch 21, which is supplied and properly spaced for this purpose. Thus for position P3 the punch mark M-I may be caused to register with the punch 21; for position P-4 the mark M--2 will register therewith, etc. The various prick punch marks indicated as Nil-I, M-2, etc. in Figure 19 represent those made by the punch 26 when the paper was in printing positions I, 2, etc. To obtain this matching of previously made prick punch marks with one or the other of the punches it is necessary that the punches be placed apart a distance equal to an exact multiple of a printing step of the paper, two steps in the present embodiment. This spacing makes it convenient to locate the punches equidistant from the center or mid-line of the film, each being one printing step away from the mid-line. Attention is called, however, that the prick punches preferably indent the paper, and do not completely puncture it. The punch marks accordingly are obliterated during the development and drying of the exposed sheet. These punches 26 and 2'1 extending upwardly from the paper-supporting plane, may be readily located in dim light by the ngers of the operator, and furthermore, the paper deformations or indentations made thereby are also in an upward direction so that they also are easily located by touch. The punches and their upward disposition are of value as a means to prevent accidental slipping of the paper while the pressure board is being held down, also as a relocating means When removal of the paper and replacement o1 the same to a previous printing position is desired. This process is hereinafter described.

It Will be recognized that the use of these punch marks as means for positioning the paper in successive printing strips is to an extent a duplication in function of that of the stepped construction of the member I0. Both means are desirable in the same machine because while the stepped construction is more exact and preferable, it can be used only for those types of printing paper where a reasonably strong photographic safe-light may be employed, except of course, that reasonably accurate locating may be done thereby under a dim light by feeling with the ngers when the end of the paper matches with the respective shoulders of the plate I0. 'I'he punch marks, on the other hand, are adapted for and will be used in handling papers of the type where little or no light of any kind may be used and where the operator must depend upon the sense of touch. The punch members 26 and 21 are not used, however, for originally locating the papr for positions P-l and P-z, as the first punch mark M--I can be used only for originally locating the paper for its third position P--3, the mark M-2 for the fourth position P-4, etc., hence the shoulders fomed by the edges of the flats 20 and 2| and the plate edges at 22 and 23 are the sole means in the present embodiment for originally locating the paper for the rst two printing positions. As before stated, these are a practical locating means, and their shouldered construction makes them available in dim light when the matching must be done by touch.

Attention is called to the construction of the lm guides I2 and 30. It will be noted that where the guide bar I3 passes over the path of the film, it is depressed so that the lm opening lies below the film supporting plane 28. The film is passed through the guide I2, and beneath the bar I3 so that it here lies below the lm and paper plane 28. This association of the film guide with the guide bar I3 does not accordingly cause an interruption in the paper-squaring surface I4. This is particularly important when the paper is aligned for its first and last printing positions, because the extent of the abutting edge of paper against the plane I4 is not so great for these positions as for the other positions, and to cut away any of this surface for the passage of the film would seriously interfere with proper squaring of the paper in the ,number I and number 6 positions. If the paper guide were cut entirely away for a distance corresponding to the width of the film passageway, or if the film slot were made at a level to embrace that of the paper plane, a corner of the paper could slide into the film slot and the squaring value of the paper guide thereby seriously depreciated for the first and final printing positions when the corner of the paper lies directly opposite the film way, and with but little more than half of the length of the sheet of paper in position to contact the guide bar. The bar 29 at the opposite end of the windows il is not ordinarily used as a paper guide, but in some styles of printing it may be employed, and for this reason the same film guide construction is incorporated at the guide 3e of the bar 2Q as at the guide l2.

It will be noted that the use of the shutter slides i8 malkes it possible not only to give each frame its proper printing time, but also to block out entirely an undesired frame without interrupting the continuity of frames on the inished print. Thus if the film strip contains a defective frame, it may be blanked 01T entirely when printing the other good frames of a strip, and the lm then advanced the one or two frames necessary to complete the strip. These one or two good frames are then handled as a new exposure. The paper must of course be lifted when so advancing the film. It can, however, be replaced in its exact previous position, with not even a slight shift in printed frame alignment, the previously-made prick punch mark constituting an accurate replacing means which can be located by touch for true re-registry of punch and punch mark. The already-exposed frames of the strip are of course protected from dual exposure during this second printing by the use of one or two of the shutter slides as may be needed. After development of the finally-exposed sheet it will be impossible to detect from the alignment of the frames that there was any interruption in the printing.

What is claimed is:

l. 'I'he improvement in photographic printing machines of the type having a light box, a nlm and paper supporting surface having a window above the light source, and a paper guide extending upwardly from said supporting surface adjacent an end of the window for maintaining a sheet of paper in a predetermined position with respect to the window, said improvement consisting of a iilm passageway which extends downwardly from said supporting surface at a point intermediate the end of said window and paper guide, the entrance to said passageway being disposed substantially in the plane of said supporting surface and being so arranged with respect to the paper guide that the edge of the paper in engagement with the latter will not enter the passageway.

2. The improvement in photographic printing machines of the type having a light box, a paper supporting surface having a window above the light source and the paper guide extending upwardly from said supporting surface adjacent the window for maintaining a sheet of paper in a predetermined position with respect thereto, said improvement consisting of a film passageway extending downwardly from said supporting surface intermediate said window and paper guide and passing beneath the latter, said passageway Where it passes beneath the paper guide comprising a slot having a top wall disposed a substantial distance below the paper supporting surface so that the edge of the paper in contact with said guide will not enter said passageway.

3. The improvement in photographic printing machines of the type having a light box, a paper supporting surface having a window above the light source and the paper guide extending upwardly from said supporting surface adjacent the window for maintaining a sheet of paper in acarrea a predetermined position with respect thereto, said improvement consisting of a film passageway formed as a depression in the paper supporting surface and extending normal to the paper guide and passing therebeneath, said paper guide having a portion extending downwardly into said film passageway to divert the film downwardly below the said supporting surface.

4. Improvements in photographic printing machines of the type for successively printing a plurality of rows of miniature pictures upon a sheet of sensitized paper whose length is a multiple of the width of a printed row of such pictures and which embodies a light box with a row of printing windows above the light source thereof, said improvement consisting of a plurality of xed shoulders arranged at each side of the windows, said shoulders being spaced apart a distance corresponding to the width of a printed row and being so located with respect to the windows that the advance edge of the sheet ci paper may be successively matched with those shoulders toi one side of the windows to establish certain of the iirst printing positions of the paper and the rear edge of the paper with those to the other side of the windows to establish succeeding printing positions of the paper.

5. Improvements in photographic printing machines of the type for successively printing a plurality of rows of miniature pictures upon a sheet of sensitized paper whose length is a multiple of the width oi a printed row of such pictures and which embodies a light box with a row of printing windows above the light source thereof, said improvements consisting of a windowed member having its margins on opposite sides of the windows respectively formed in stepped fashion, the distance between the steps on each side of said window being substantially equal to the width of each printed row, and said steps being so arranged and disposed with respect to the windows that the forward edge of the paper may be successively matched with the steps to o ne side of the windows to establish certain of the first printing positions and the rearward edge thereafter successively matched with the steps to the other side of the windows to establish succeeding printing positions.

6. Improvements in photographic printing machines of the type for use in printing successive rows of miniature pictures upon a sheet of photcgraphic paper and involving a light box having a printing opening above the light source thereof, a film guideway arranged in line with .the printing opening and a paper guide bar at right angles to the nlm guideway and spaced from the window opening in a manner to produce an unprin-ted margin on the sheet, said improvements consisting of a paper-indenting punch extending upwardly from the paper supporting surface of the machine, said punch being arranged outwardly of but near one side of the film path and at such distance from the paper guide bar as to cause the marks made thereby in the paper to fall outwardly of the picture area and within the unprinted marginal portion of the paper,

7. Improvements in photographic printing machines of the type for use in printing successive rows of miniature pictures upon a sheet of photographic paper and involving a light box having a printing opening above the light source thereof, a film guideway arranged in line with the printing opening and a paper guide bar at right angles to the film guideway and spaced from the window opening in a manner -to produce an unprinted margin on :the sheet, said improvements consisting of a paper-indenting punch extending upwardly from the paper supporting surface of the machine, said punch being arranged a distance to one side of the center of the film path equal to one printed row of pictures and at such distance from `the paper guide bar as to cause the marks made thereby in `the paper to fall outwardly of the picture area and within the unprinted marginal portion of the paper.

8. Improvements in photographic printing machines of the .type for use in printing a plurality of rows of miniature pictures upon a sheet of sensitized paper and involving a light box having a row of printing windows above the light, source thereof, a lm guideway arranged in line with the windows, and paper guide means arranged for stepped movement of a sheet of paper normal to the path of movement of the film through its guideway, said improvements relating to paper i locating and restoring means, and consisting of a plurality of paper-indenting means extending above the paper-supporting surface, ythe same being located slightly remote from Vthe film path and spaced apart a distance corresponding to a multiple of the distance of a printing step of the paper, the same being so aligned that the indentation made by one of said means may subsequently be matched with the other.

9. Improvements in photographic printing machines of the type for use in printing a plurality of rows of miniature pictures upon a sheet of sensitized paper and involving a light box having a row of printing windows above the light source thereof, .a film guideway arranged in line with the windows, and paper guide means arranged for stepped movement of a sheet of paper normal to the path of movement of the iilm through its guideway, said improvements relating to paper locating and restoring means, and consisting of -a plurality of aligned paper indenting means extending above the paper-supporting surface, the same being arranged equi-distance to either side of the path of the film and spaced apart a distance equal to two printing steps of the paper.

10. The improvement in photographic printing machines of the type for use in printing successive rows of miniature pictures upon a sheet of photographic paper from a continuous film and involving a light box having a film and paper supporting plate with a plurality of printing windows therein located above the light source of the box, film guideways Iarranged inline with the printing opening and a paper guide bar at right angles tothe iilm guideway and spaced from the window opening in a manner to produce an unprinted margin on a sheet of paper, and a movable platen for imposing contact pressure upon the paper and therethrough upon the film and upon the windowed plate of the light box, said improvement relating to paper locating and restoring means and consisting of a paper indenting punch member rigidly amxed to the said windowed plate and extending upward above the film and paper supporting surface thereof, said punch being arranged near the paper guide bar in a position to cause the marks made thereby in the paper to fall outwardly of the picture area and Within an imprinted marginal portion of the paper, said punch being furthermore formed and located so that the paper may be lifted ltherefrom and restored in exact previous position thereupon only when said platen is not in position upon said paper.

11. Improvements in photographic printing machines of a type for use in printing a plurality of rows of miniature pictures from a continuous strip of iilm upon a sheet of photographic paper of predetermined size the width of which is such as to accommodate a plurality of negatives of said film and the length of which is Ia multiple of the width of the film, said improvements consisting of a light box having a row of aligned individual windows above the light source thereof, said windows being spaced with respect to each other to coincide with the spacing of consecutive individual negatives of the film, a, pair of film guideways Iarranged in line with the windows, one rthereof disposed outwardly of each end of the said row of windows and adapted for the lengthwise progress of the illm above and in line with the windows, a paper guide bar above said windows and above the lm, the same being arranged at right angles to the direction of progress of the lm and outwardly of one end of :the row of windows and adapted for abutting contact by an edge of the sheet of paper when the latter is positioned above the film, spaced fixed shoulders at opposite sides of the iilrn path for establishing successive positions of a sheet of paper in a path of movement at right angles to the path of movement of the film, and opaque shutters adapted for selective operative interposition transversely of the nlm path between .the light source and each of fthe windows during the period of exposure for reducing the exposure times of individual negatives of a row within the exposure period of the most dense negative of the row.

BYERS W. KADEL. GEORGE B. KADEL. 

